Tastes Like Motor Oil

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News talk sports for the triad. Reacting. to the news of the day. Lamello ball. Being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Here's where I'm at with this.

Today is proof. That Despite this run. That the Hornets just went on. The second half of the season, where quite literally they were one of the best teams in the NBA in that stretch. The numbers back that up.

That's not just, hey, we're really good for a stretchy. No, no. They were one of the most. Offensive that one of the best and most efficient offensive teams in the league. through that stretch.

They went on that run. And Lamello Ball was a big piece of that. But despite that run This Fan base still has scars, scar tissue, Of decades of mediocrity. Like, yeah. The Dell Curry, Mugsy Bogs, Diggs, those are fun.

Mm what else you got? Yeah. Not a lot of good in that stretch. And this year. You were right on the cusp.

Of breaking a long playoff drought, 2016 to be exact, 10 years. And It was a complete turnaround. Like the Hornets were nationally relevant. But You still got that bad taste in your mouth. from the past and because of that You don't necessarily have the trust yet completely of this new regime.

You know, Rick Schnall, the owner, Jeff Peterson, the GM, Charles Lee, the coach. You don't completely trust it yet, despite that run this year. Because there's a lot of bad still in your mouth that you taste from the past. You gotta earn. The trust of this fan base.

And there's still work to be done here.

So I am going to try. And see the vision because I do think this is a really good front office. I do, I love the things that they have done. And I'm going to try to see the vision. But I understand why Hornet fans are upset because I'm one of you.

I am a Hornets fan. I got an Omeka Okafor Bobcats jersey in my closet as we speak. One orange, one white. I got two of them. I'm with ya.

And the thing is, the reason why fans are so upset about this Lamello deal is you saw, to the point of the run we just spoke of, you saw light at the end of the tunnel, finally, for the first time in a decade. And really, I kind of think this team, as it was assembled, maybe was better, probably was better. And more flashy and more fun and more explosive offensively than the one that. You know, got dealt with by the Miami Heat back in 2016. Purple shirt guy.

What up? Le Melabeau is a big piece of that light at the end of the tunnel. And not only that. Yeah, like, yeah, there's some bad that comes with the Lamello ball experience. Even the diehard fans can acknowledge that because he is immature, the driving stuff, whatever.

But he was a superstar. He brought juice to this franchise. He's must-see TV. He's one of the most entertaining, most... talented players in this league.

And he was one of you. He was yours. He was Charlotte's drafted here. And. Finally, he had one of his best seasons in a long time, the most available he's been in a long time.

And you think about moments like this. That was, in fact, his last moment in the Spectrum Center. Here it was. James Looking. Ball breaks free.

Gets it. Seven seconds ball of the drive. And there's one timeouts left for Miami. Up by one. The drive blows down and it's over.

That was the last sequence for Lamello Ball in the Spectrum Center, that moment where he hits the shot. with the clock ticking down. against the Miami Heat to win that play. play-in game and then they had the stinker in Orlando.

Sorry if that brought up some bad memories.

Now they're bad memories because that was the last one.

So I get why fans are upset. I get it. And now, to that point, let me look at this from the Minnesota side of things. This is a win, I think, for Minnesota. Because they've been looking for a running mate, a superstar running mate, to go with Anthony Edwards.

And with respect to Julius Randall, Rudy Gobert, those guys were not that. And Julius Randle is not even on the team anymore. He's with Brooklyn, got traded the other night. Lamella bowls that. Lamella balls that.

And not only that, but he's somebody that can take double teams away from Ant. And that's something they've been wanting to get over there for him. Lomelo ball can do that. And I mean, LaMelo and Ant playing together side by side. That is must-see TV.

Are we kidding? I love this move. from Minnesota and back to the Hornets. Ultimately, what's going to decide whether or not this move, this is me trying to see the vision. What decides that this move is going to be a success or a failure is ultimately going to be what they do next because they're not done.

They can't be. Like this move, as constructed with Nas Reed, the pick swaps. That that's not enough. That's not enough. They need to do something else with these pick swaps.

I don't know if it's go try and get Jalen Brown. I don't know if it's try to go get Kawhi Leonard, give Steph Curry a call. They need to do something else with these pick swaps, with some of the first rounders that they have, and maybe with Miles Bridges. to make this a win.

So it's TBD right now. I'm going to try and see the vision. You got Kobe White signing a three-year deal today with some money that they now have available because Lamello's out. We'll see what happens, but I get Hornet fans while you're upset. Very quickly, Dave and Clemens only got about 30 seconds.

What do you got for me, Dave? What's up, WD? I like getting rid of Lamello. I've never believed him. Hit him.

You can't win big with a guy like that. And It just goes, it's going to be Kineppel and Brandon Miller's team. They are, if they're their team, they'll get more shots. I don't think going to Kobe White is that big of a downgrade. I just love.

You want to build your franchise around Con Kniple. That's who you want to build your franchise around, not LaMelo Ball.

So it's better just to get him out, get what you can for him, and the future is Con Kniple, not LaMelo Ball, in my opinion. And the Hornets chose that. David Clemens, thank you so much for the call. That is the two things. That also comes.

So, you got Kobe White going into the starting lineup. That's a positive that you got somebody like that to turn to. I also think, to your point, this can be a win for Brandon Miller to make him even more, give him more of an opportunity to become the superstar that we mostly all think he is.

So, I agree with you on some of that. Greensboro took a couple of wins today. They did. We've learned That UNC NC State They have scheduled a non conference game That they're going to play at First Horizons Coliseum, formerly known as the Greensboro Coliseum. It's going to be during this coming season.

The contract details, this is via Corey Smith of. Pac Pride. Contract details are not finalized, but the game is set. for December 15th following the ACC SEC challenge.

So this is pretty big. And it poses the question. Is the big four tournament on the verge of coming back? We saw it throughout. The 70s and 80s, and then it went away after the 81 season at the Greensboro Coliseum, I think.

Carolina, NC State, Duke, Wake Forest. If you're especially now, if you're going to be having situations where because the league has expanded, NC State can only play Carolina once.

So I'm very glad that they got this done. But maybe this is incentive. to do the big four tournament now. And by the way, I said a couple of wins for Greensboro.

So you had this, and then we also learned this morning that the Carolina hurricanes. are going to be playing a preseason game. this year. Or this coming year at the First Horizons Coliseum. Of course, Greensboro is where it all.

Began. When Carolina came here, This is super cool. September 24th. It's going to be a preseason matchup. Against the Nashville Predators.

So you've got a couple of massive wins. Charlotte may have taken a loss today, depending on how you view it. But I tell you this, Greensboro took a couple of wins today. UNC and NC State with a preseason game scheduled December fifteenth. And then the Carolina Hurricanes and the Nashville Predators with a preseason game scheduled for late September.

More on that.

So much more coming on that throughout the show. Uh All takes, no breaks, and no chance you're bored. You're clocked out email off. Back to the Triad's longest-running live sports talk show: The Drive. They told him don't you have a cover up at it on the drive right here on WSJS.

17 years ago today. We lost the king of pop. It's one of those moments. Where You remember where you were when you heard the news for the first time? It's actually kind of interesting because So, I'm a die-hard Michael Jackson fan, hence, the shirt that I'm wearing today.

And It's interesting because I didn't really become a diehard fan. and really start to learn more and get into his music. Until His passing kind of brought it back to the forefront, and that's when I kind of got into it and just never looked back, and so uh. We'll be hearing some Michael tunes throughout the day, but 17 years ago today, Michael Jackson passing away at 50 years old. Old.

So we're going to be on vacation next week. Morgan and I both. We need a minute. We ne we need to chill out for a while. And so I thought about, what if we did?

A vacation-themed this or that, where You know me There's a lot of different things on the itinerary when it comes to vacation. There's a lot of different elements of traveling.

So let's Do a vacation addition, this or that. It's this or that with Will Dalton. Two choices. One answer. No offense, sitting.

You're in or you're out. This or that. Morgan, what do you got for me? You got a list. I do have quite the extensive list.

Alright. You're going to your destination. Are you going by car? Or are you flying to your destination?

Okay, so the context on this matters because.

So for example, I'm thinking about going to Myrtle Beach for a few days next week, just going down just cuz. And obviously, that's a three and a half hour drive, so I'm gonna drive that. I'm just gonna pretend that this is for things that are like five hours or longer. Like Georgia, Florida, that's a longer drive. I'm flying.

I'm flying. I have gotten to a point now. That If I can get a good enough, like, there's good enough deals on air on playing tickets now. You gotta be careful, you know, which airline it is, obviously, but you can find something good enough. I'm just gonna fly.

I have no desire to drive five and a half hours. I just don't. I will if I have to, but I don't. I don't have to. Morgan, what do you think?

I drive everywhere. Even if it was like an eight-hour trip? Oh, that's nothing. You're probably right. My family lives 15 hours from here and we drive straight.

That's fair. Anything longer than 16 hours was split into two days. But yeah, we drive 15 hours straight from here to northern Michigan just about every summer. Ooh. You have fun with that.

I love it. I'll be in the air. You can see me in the clouds. Cool.

Now are you going to the mountains or the beach? The beach all day long. And look, I have. Developed more of an appreciation for the mountains and the In the recent years, because I've been a few more times. But the beach is a spot for me where it's one of those places where you just feel a connection, like you feel.

You just feel grounded. Like there's something spiritual almost about it when you go. The vibes are really good. It's like a really good reset for you. That's the beach for me.

The bat or the beach. Myrtle. But it's the beach.

Alright. How would you answer that? Mountains all day. I hate the beach.

Well, you're from Wes you're from well you went to Western Carolina and I loved the mountains even before then. I've never liked the beach. Why not? What what element of it? It's hot, humid.

The sand gets everywhere and stays everywhere. It's like nature's glitter. Nature's glitter. It's just not my situation. It's crowded too, so.

It's alright, but mountain Lake or ocean? Ocean. I feel like the previous one kind of says that. And I like the lake. The lake is fun.

You take a boat out, but. It's just I don't know. It's the ocean, man. It's the beach. It's the ocean.

It's the endless water. It doesn't stop. I mean it does, but long way. I like a lake better. I could have predicted that.

Okay. When you're when you're flying or you're in your car driving to Myrtle Beach. Mm-hmm. Are you listening to a radio or a playlist? A podcast?

Or are you a madman? And you just do nothing, and you're driving to Myrtle Beach in silence. Listen, there is a vibe behind driving in silence and just hearing nothing but the. Ah. of the road.

That was a terrible impersonation of just the road, but you know what I mean. Like, it just... It's just you and the highway. And depending on the time of day, early morning, late night, ain't nobody out there.

So and there's something about people say you think when you're in the shower. When you're driving and there's nothing on, you think.

Now, with that said though, I prefer, I love music, but I also love to put on a podcast. Or stand-up comedy.

Sometimes I'll put on stand-up comedy while I'm on the road. Not kidding. I've tried the comedy once. Eh. No, I think I'll listen to music.

If I If I have to pick one... I'm going podcast.

Alright. That is the point of the segment after all.

Now you're going on this trip. Are you going alone? Are you going with friends and/or family? I'm going with me, myself, and I. That's what I'm doing.

I love to travel with people. I love my parents. I love to travel with them. The last time I went to the beach, I went with my parents. But there is something about getting off Assuming you're in some people don't like to travel by themselves, but for me, he's like.

I love silence. I love. I respect that. I love. It's not even that.

I just like the ability to go and do whatever I want at any time, at any moment. I don't have to explain myself. I don't have to say, hey, I'll be back in a little while. This is. I just go.

And I just do it. Whatever it is. I love that. I'd rather go with. I've done it both ways.

So I've driven myself to Nashville for a weekend and driven back, and it was so much fun. But I would prefer someone to be there with me while I'm driving the eight hours to Nashville. That's fair. That's fair. All right.

Last one here. Where are you eating? Are you eating at like a local pizza joint? Not the goaded Lil Caesars, but like a nice little local pizza joint. Yours, love Little Caesars.

I know you do. Or are you sitting down at a nice restaurant? Come on. Mm.

So much of it is Yeah. Jay Davis writes in the comments a madman drives for three to four hours with silence.

Okay, maybe I'm a madman then. Don't judge. Anyway. Three to four hours is a long time. You need a vibe change.

Yeah. It really depends on my mood. Like... If I'm not In the mood to Get all dressed up, and I just kind of want to go kick it. And, like, it's been a long day.

It's like, yeah, I just want to get a pizza. I just want to go down the. I'm making something up. L let's just call it. Guido's pizza.

I don't know. I was gonna go with Fabrizio. Man, Benjio. River Derrichi, if you know you know. Gobaghoul.

That that's it. Um. But if I had if I had to choose You know, you're going on a trip, somewhere you don't go very often. If I have to choose one, that's the whole point of the segment. I'll I'll go to somewhere fancy.

Why not? Get a good experience out of it. Cool.

I like it. There you go. And that has been This a vacation themed. This Or that. See, I struggle with that because I'm such a just, it depends on my mood type of person.

Like, I'm not a, I'm not a black or white, like, cut and dry this or that person. But that what that's why the bit's fun though. You gotta choose. I mean, it's true. I'm flying this time because I am following up my family on the back half of the.

From Michigan, right? Yeah, flying to northern Michigan. Where Dusty May is not. You had to bring it up. I was gonna be happy, get myself more Michigan merch from Myers, if you know, you know, and all was gonna be great.

Don't know. No, it's like it's better, Walmart. It's real talky, but it's not real listening. Will Dalton has local takes, big opinions, and the Triad's best sports talk. This is the drive.

Uh Back at it on the Drive. Right here on WSJS. Weed them boys. Love that song. Also love Giving away tickets.

And we have a pair in store for you today. Later this hour. Which there's only almost 20 minutes left of.

So it's going to be soon. Not right now, but save the number 336-777-1600. We have tickets, just one pair.

So go see Toto. Coming July 29th to Raleigh over at Walnut Creek. Just one pair, and all you have to do is call in when you hear this. I like the loss that drag me away from you. I felt the rain down in Africa.

336-777-1600. Not right now, but later this hour.

So in the next 20 minutes, when you hear that.

Sound so. It seems that the first step has been taken. to potentially bring the big four tournament back to the Greensboro. Or what was the Queensborough Coliseum. We still recognize it as it.

But it's now the First Horizon Coliseum, of course. With UNC, NC State, that non-conference game scheduled.

So, in today's no rules top five, Morgan and I both. Rank. The possible sponsors of a Big Four tournament. Here we go. The No Rules Top 5.

And this is show business. Mixed with a little monkey business. Rank it. Huh? What?

Run it. Yes. Morgan, what do you got? All right, starting off strong here with. I know one of your.

We were talking about this before, this is the only one I gave you, but Belk. 18. Belk? 18. Oh my God.

Monroe, North Carolina. The legend that is Belk. Um Well Does anybody still go- My mom goes to Belk. I should be quiet. I've been in Belk one time.

Yeah. At number four. I know this is low. But you'll understand in a moment. Give me bow jangles.

That number. Bohanes. It's bow time. I like that. I like that.

I know it's an iconic brand for the region, and I know it's low, but you'll understand in a moment. At number three. Since it's in Greensboro, Why not Pepsi? But specifically. North Carolina is the number two consumer of Mountain Dew in the country.

So it would be Mountain Dew. Under the Pepsi Co. branding. I have a counter for that. At number two.

It wouldn't be a list. Without the one, the only cookout. Mm.

And for a curveball, I don't think anybody was expecting. They're headquartered in Winston-Salem. Better than Dunkin' Donuts. It's crispy. Hey, I like that.

Hot and ready. That is fantastic. I did not think about Krispy Kreme. I know. I know.

I was hyping this up earlier. I was like, hey, it's going to be good. I'm not going to tell you, though. Oh, man. Krispy Kreme.

I don't know how you top that. I might have some options. Might have it.

Okay. Number five on my list? Food lion. When I think about grocery stores. associated with You know, the ACC tournament at the old Greensboro Coliseum.

I think about Food Lion, I think about Harris Teeter, but I think. Just going back to my childhood, I think more so about that food line logo up on the top of the Jumbotron or one of the logos up there. Food Lion is the number five option to sponsor this. Not bad. It's not.

Not a bad choice. Pretty solid. Number four, this is where I put Mojangles. Yeah, I agree. You can't have a list.

If you actually know what you're doing without putting Bojangles on it somewhere.

Now I have it for. That's on the lower part of the list.

So I got.

Some other things I gotta do here. Gotta do it. Uh Number three. This is where I put cookout. Oh.

This is where I put cookout at. I feel like it's another one. It is a triad. It is a North Carolina Kakalaka. It is a Kakalaka.

Staple. It should go without saying when you... Ask like one of the questions you should ask somebody when you enter this state for the first time: what's your tray? What's your cookout order? What is it?

Like you gotta... It's one of the important questions. Right up there with, you know, what's your address, what's your phone number, and what's your tray. When you're trying to get to know somebody, those are the three questions you should ask. Number two though.

Cheer wine. Absolutely not. Cheer wise! Absolutely not. Share wine, also from this state.

And it can stay in this state. That stuff is like drinking, it's just motor oil. It's so cool. Are you serious? I will die on this hill.

Jay Davis, I don't even want to hear anything coming. Shout out to Salisbury. I can't believe you. I hate it. I can't believe you.

Disgusting. I tried it once. It's not good. And every time I see it, I got to get a little sip because I got to know how much I don't like it. Jay Davis knows what's up.

He said: if you guys don't have chier one on the list, it don't count.

So you. I got you, Jay Davis. Don't you worry about that. Cheerwine, right where it belongs at number two. But if Cookout's at three, if Bojingles is four, if Chierwine's only two, what could number one possibly be?

D B Damies Right across Stamy's barbecue. Old-fashioned. My OG Greensboro North Carolinians, they know what's up on some stameys. It is right across the street from the Coliseum. I hate that I'm not wearing my Stamey's hat today.

Stamies should be the number one sponsor of the Big Four tournament. Never heard of them. You don't know what Stameys is? Nope. Get outta here.

Just in the show, forget it. Just cut the music off. Cut it off. That's been the No Rules Top Five. Jeff Leo writes in.

Morgan lost me on Cheerwan. My first disagreement. Yeah, we've been agreeing on that. Yeah, Jeff Leo likes you. Yeah.

You have a lot in common. And you know, I can respect cheer wine drinkers. It's just not. You said it tastes like motor oil. It does.

But there's a place for everything. Motor oil. Really? I I can't stand it. It's so bad.

And maybe that's because I didn't grow up drinking it. I moved here when I was. Already decided that like Pepsi in the Mountain Dew. Yeah. 336-777-1600.

What would your sponsor be? Of a big four tournament return. I want to hear from you. It could be any of the things we had on the list here and call in to tell Morgan how wrong he is if you want to do that too. That's that's good.

Okay. Jeez, I'm so flustered. I don't even know where to go next. Kobe White, inking a three-year deal. He got paid.

He did. Deserves it too. He does. Can get twenty any night he wants. And now he's going to be a starter.

So that is. I gotta say, that is. One of the bright spots. of losing Lamello Did you put him in the starting lineup? Brandon Miller's got more time to sh more room to shine now.

I think this is going to be a In a year or two, we look back and say, you know what, this stinks. We hate to lose him. But we were better off for it. Would you be okay doing a sign-in trade for Jalen Brown that included Kobe White? If that meant you got to retain some picks?

I don't think they're going to do that. No. But I would just want. Yeah. No.

I wouldn't do that. Would you do it for any player? Like is there a player that you think if th you got interest for? And you would put in Kobe White? LeBron.

Okay, LeBron's a free agent. I just wanted to say it. Um. Kevin Durant? Perhaps?

Uh Jokic. I don't know how much long he's going to be in Denver. I don't know. Would have said Giannis by the fact that that ship has sailed. Um I mean, obviously, Wimby's like the default answer.

Yeah, but but like, I mean, KD would be great. Yeah, I think. And he's still got like three or four solid years left on him. Mm-hmm. He does.

So Kobe White got paid. Drive home live. Sports talk that doesn't care about your feelings. This is The Drive, the triad's longest-running live sports talk show. Back at it on the drive, right here on WSJS.

Where we place three bets. Last night.

Now our record, we these are we needed these three because After a not so great night the night before, we were 40 and 43, three games under 500. Let's get to the bets in Dalton's dollars. Stack it up, stack it, stack, gotta stack it up. Get the money, get the money all the time, love. It's time to cash in.

Welcome to Dalton's Dollars. Call me the money! Show me the money. Breaking down the board and building the bankroll. 3 and O!

Undefeated. Never lost. Shout out to. Lavar Ball. Gonna miss.

Even though he really didn't have a presence in Charlotte, he kind of quieted down mostly. Yeah. Come on the way out. I had to remind myself of that. But we did never lost 3-0 last night.

Let's take a look at the details: Brazil and Scotland. I took the over. Two and a half last night. You had Neymar back from Brazil. And It was a 3-0 win for Brazil.

Show me the And then we place two baseball bets. For one, took the Pirates' money line against the Seattle Mariners. Pirates won 11-1. Show me the Fire! Then I also took.

I was conflicted because the Tigers were facing the Yankees. Tariq Skubel's on the mound. I'm a Yankee fan. I don't... Even though I've done it in the past, I don't like to root against my team, even if I think financially it may benefit me.

So I just went with the simple under the run total, which was seven. Yankees? Four Tigers 2. STROPHY DIVINE! That equals six for the kids in the back.

We can do math around here. Yeah. Okay. That's been Dalton's dollars. No no picks tonight.

No bets. Gonna take a night off. Gonna quit while I'm ahead, as they say. 336-777-1600. Would you like to win Toto tickets?

Clearly, somebody does. The lines are already starting to get lit. Flint! Not in Charlotte, but it's lit in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point, the Triad. Congrats to whoever the winner is that Morgan's on the phone with right now.

So One thing that I'm thinking about... Round two of the NBA draft. And We'll get to some of the details, I think, of that on tomorrow's show.

Some of the results of the draft. But I think we have this clip, don't we, Morgan, from Scott Van Pelt? I think we have this clip.

So That one of the biggest controversies of the NBA draft Is the hat? Like the trades that happen ahead of time.

So a pick that's made for. The pistons Like a la Abuka Corey going to the Pistons, but the Thunder. And made it on the screen.

So it's like the hats get all twisted. That's how you end up with Shea Gilgis Alexander in a Hornet's hat, and Kobe in a Hornet's hat, and Miles Bridges, I think, what was it, in a Clipper's hat back in the day? Like, it's weird. The NBA has never been able to figure it out. And Scott Van Pelt got on his soapbox last night.

He says it every year and he's going to say it one more time. At least, here's Scott Van Pelt was last night. I have no idea how many more years that I'll be doing this, but I want to make a solemn vow to complain every single year about the single dumbest thing about draft night. Hey, congratulations. You've waited your whole life to this moment.

You get to share this with your family, your friends, and the world. Here, can you put on this hat? Yeah, yeah, no, it's the wrong team's hat. It'll be the photo you have of this moment for the rest of your life. You.

In the wrong hat, but you know, the league year doesn't start until July, so yeah, just Put the hat on. Wrong hat. How hard is this to fix? Apparently very difficult. It shouldn't be, but I guess it is.

Uh I can't really explain very well why this happens. I think some of it has to do with a lot of times on draft nights. Trades can't be officially finalized just yet. Whether it's I don't know. Salary cap rules.

Timeline rules, pate league paperwork, for all I know. Who knows? But it's stupid. It's dumb. And I agree with Scott Van Pelt on this.

And now it really is my honor to talk about arguing sports so you don't have to argue at home. You're on the drive. Back at it on the drive, right here on WSJS, where We'll get back to our reactions of UNC and NC State scheduling. A non-conference game for What we used to know as the Greensboro Coliseum, now known as the First Horizons Coliseum, but now. We welcome in our guy Will Pelagic, the voice of Charlotte FC.

We just call him Willie P around here. Willie P, how are we doing? What's going on, Will? I missed you last week, pal. Hope everybody with you.

I will say, you know, I got back Wednesday from Europe. had a you know 24-hour period to try and get my body clock adjusted back at work today. And Let's just say today is the Monday is Thursday that I've ever experienced. It's a lot happening in your neck of the woods. Sure.

Let's uh we'll get to USA soccer. Um, here in just a few minutes, because we haven't gotten a chance to talk to you since. Started looking pretty darn good.

So, I want to get your thoughts on that. But as you mentioned, yes, there's some stuff happening right there in Uptown Charlotte at the Spectrum Center, LaMello Ball. has been dealt. has been traded. And sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Hornets get Nas Reed and some other stuff back. What's your reaction to this move? Do you... Do you see the vision that Charlotte's putting down here? Um It's a loaded question, Will.

Yes, it is. I will say It's going to require some proper context for me and some further context. And while I think it's. It's very in vogue to be Coming out and, you know, lambasting the trade or lambasting Lamello. I think we have to.

We have to come to an understanding of a couple of different things. The mellow ball. is in fact a superstar player. Whether people who are detractors of his want to not admit that or admit that or whatever, you know, that's something that I think we all have to kind of come to a baseline understanding of. He is a superstar player in this league.

He's been an all-star. He is widely popular. He is the person who. At least when you think about the Hornets. In a national or international perspective, he was the player who was the most recognizable guy on the squad.

Now, unfortunately, for those of us who are closer to it, he had made himself more recognizable for reasons other than basketball and more so for his inactivity over the course of years previous to this one. Um taking into account that he played a you know Amount of games this past year that was more than he had played in the previous three. I do think that part of the reason you see this move made is because the opponents are betting that that's not going to be the norm and that this year was the outlier. Add in the fact that It's not like you're trading into a team that turns itself into an automatic, you know, slam dunk contender, pardon the pun. And you get back a player who addresses the problems that.

you ran into head on in the playing round against Orlando.

Somebody who brings you more length in the front court, somebody who stretches out the front court a lot more than anybody you have on the roster presently from a shooting standpoint, and also puts you in a better position to be a lot more physical.

Now The move in a vacuum. does not make the team better. But The move does open up a $40.7 million trade exception that allows the Hornets to make. another move or moves. To put them closer to where they were at the start of the offseason, and even at the start of the offseason before they drafted Hannah Steinbach and Christian Anderson Jr.

Now, do I expect either of those guys to have the kind of impact Lamella Ball had immediately? No. But I think Those draft picks help give you some reasoning as to why maybe the Hornets felt like this is the reason and this is the season for them to start pushing the chips toward the table.

Now, we had a chance to see Jeff Peterson literally hours ago. He wouldn't budge on talking about it. We saw the owners this morning. They wouldn't budge on talking about it. I can't get any sense as to when we will get an actual answer from them as to why this move was made.

Probably not for a while because they are not slated to talk to the media until maybe they're in the summer league, and maybe even not even until after that.

So I do think it's a situation where we're probably going to be waiting a long time to get the real answers as to why this move was made. Um But I also think again. without knowing the proper context behind it, it's a hard one to defend because I don't like taking away the watchability of this franchise. I don't like taking away somebody who is a big part of this franchise from an entertainment standpoint. This is an entertainment business as much as people don't want to admit it.

And you take away somebody who is basically a front-of-the-marque type guy. Is he a perfect player? No. But do I still think he can be a legitimate all-star and somebody who can be a big part of a winning program? Yes, I do.

And Unless this move yields a player of that ilk. It's going to be hard for the Hornets to defend it. It just is.

Now, Do I think Lamella Ball is going to win a Larry O'Brien triple with Minnesota as currently constituted? No, I don't think so. That's the part of it that I think you look at and say, is maybe the silver lining in this is that. It's not the LA Lakers getting Pow Gasol from Memphis. For what basically amounted was just nothing more than a treasure trove of picks and Pal Gasol and the Lakers going off and doing big things.

I don't know if I expect those things in Minnesota.

So I have as many questions on their side of the fence as they do on the Hornet side of the fence. It's one of those rare trades that I feel like doesn't really make much sense for either side. And the only way you can make it make sense on the Hornet side is if we see what else happens down the road. How does this move inform the other moves that they. Assuredly, we will make during this offseason because you don't make this move without other things intended.

Following in. Yeah, that's kind of where I'm at with it. And the other place that I go to, because you can ignore the fan reaction of this, because it's just, I mean, it's been all over social media all day. Fans are very upset because I think from the fan angle, they finally. Finally, they saw some light at the end of the tunnel here.

And they felt that in Lamello Ball's most healthy season in several years. They felt that while yes, some. There's some not so good in the Lamello ball experience. I think there was a lot more good than bad, and he was a big piece of why the Hornets were so good when he was on the floor. And so I get the fan angle of really like.

Here's here's the problem. Um Just going and trying to blame the organization outright. And again, I'm not trying to stand up for them. They don't need me to do that. They can talk for themselves all they want.

But If You did if you had made the conclusion. If you're drawing the conclusion that Lamello Ball was not going to spend his entire career in Charlotte. This was the offseason to make the move because You would finally. Recovered his Q rating to a point where you at least proved that you could get him and massage him through a whole NBA season. Was it pretty every moment of it?

No. The coming off-the-bench experiment was. A disaster. There were other parts of it where you felt like maybe this was something that was driven by the organization. Jeff Peterson told you as much.

It was his call to basically be very, very conservative with him on back to backs. And Their intentions were to get him through an 82-game season by hook or by crooks.

So Did did that immediately tick in my mind? This is that they're trading him this offseason? No, but looking back on how they handled Lamello this season. That makes it make that makes it make sense for me. Because they wanted to do everything they possibly could to rehab his image.

Now, The only problem I see with that is that Lamello was more valuable to the Hornets than Than he was to any other organization, which I think unfortunately is why Hornet fans are somewhat disappointed on the in-a-vacuum return of Nas Reed, three pick swaps, one first-round pick, and three second-round picks. That's why the return seemed disappointed because the Hornets had inflated Lamello's. Insular Uh importance to the organization. Without respect to what it would mean on another team.

Now, Maybe that's something that, again, that every fan base knows with their own superstar, 100%. It's not something that's unique to Charlotte, not unique to the Hornets. But Let's not act like there weren't reasons to believe that Lamello may or may not have spent the entirety of the rest of his career with the Charlotte Hornets, regardless of what he is reported to have or have not said, or he or his father might not have said. Heck, I mean, we're. At the beginning of the season, there was talk that they were trying to move him then anyway.

Uh and it was being driven by Lamello.

So I think it was a An organizational What I would say, I wouldn't even say an organizational move, but I would say it was something of the standpoint of. If you had made up your mind that He was probably going to end his career in a uniform other than Charlotte's. They wanted to take some sort of control over that. And posit and position themselves in a particular situation with a treasure trove of draft picks. and the ability to try and yield.

Another star in that light.

Now, who that star is remains to be seen, and they're going to be judged by the level of star that they bring back. In terms of how they go about the next phase of their build and their offseason. But I agree with you in that. If fans are angry about it because this is, it seemed like a position where they were turning the corner, yes, I do agree. That's that's part of this that you look at and say is a big, big.

a hard thing for you to to reconcile. As far as I'm concerned. This is not something that Jeff Peterson woke up yesterday and said, you know what, we're trading Lamella Ball. This has to be and and I I don't have this concretely sourced. But just from the vibe and me.

talking to these people over the course of the last five to seven hours and working as many sources as I can. Th this is something that has been in the works for quite some time. Will Pelagic with us here on WSJS, The Voice. of Charlotte FC. Let's get one more thing on the Hornets agenda, real quick, before we get to USA soccer.

Because we did see a draft take place in the last couple of days. See, that was what we thought the news was going to be for the Hornets, but you know how these things happen around the draft.

So the two guys that they took at 14 and 18. What are your thoughts? What are your thoughts on Hans Steinbach and Anderson, two German guys? How do you like those guys so far? This Steinbach move is incredibly intriguing because he is 6'11.

I shook his hand earlier today, Will, and I've only shaken one man's hands that are bigger than his. That's Muhammad Ali.

Okay. This guy has got meaty, big paws. All right. So when they say he can rebound, I believe them because he can get his hands on the ball. My biggest questions are will The offense open up beyond 15 and out.

Will he be able to shoot the three at a reliable level in the NBA? I think that's something that they feel like is a part of the next part of his development. Can he play defense at the level that you want him to at the league as well? That's another big key. But he definitely brings.

And again, this is to use their verbiage, not mine. He definitely brings what they would call Hornet's DNA. He's somebody who very much fits what Charles Lee wants to do on the floor and definitely fits the new age level of big man in the NBA. Anderson is somebody who I feel like, again, They are probably higher on him than the balance of people are And that's not to say that they don't have reason to be, but he is a little slight. Uh, from a weight standpoint, uh, they do say he's still growing.

That's another, that's a feather in his cap. And the one thing that is at least another, there are two. Other good feathers in his cap is he can run the pick and well very well, and he also can shoot it.

So I'm not saying that Christian Anderson made them more comfortable. of dealing with Mela Ball, but That was a pick that on Tuesday night. A lot of people have kind of shook their head and saying, okay, what does this mean? And a lot of people thought it meant maybe they're okay with not re-signing Kobe White. We found out, obviously, earlier today that that is not the case.

Kobe White's going back to the Hornets and more than likely will be their starting point guard. But I come back to the fact that You know, they're not afraid to play rookies. I wouldn't call this draft class the kind of home run immediately that last year's draft class looks like, but I'd put it somewhere in between last year's and the TJON year because I think we all kind of still agree that the jury is still out on T-John. And while I don't expect either of these guys to have the immediate impact. that say Khan and Cion and Kalkbrenner had last year.

I do think that there will be points in the season where you start seeing these guys get rotation minutes, if not right away, then closer to the start of the season than the end of the season. Will Pelagic with us here on WSJS, The Voice of Charlotte FC. Last thing for you on the way out here.

So we've seen the USA get through Paraguay, get through Australia, and it's been a really strong couple of matches for them so far as they won Group D. With what we've seen so far, and I don't think tonight really matters against Turkey A. In fact, you and I spoke on the phone earlier and we both agreed as much. How far do you think that they can go in the knockout stage? I would say they've played three.

High-level halves of football and one pedestrian half of football. The second half against Australia, it was. Way more vulnerable and exposed to a lot of the issues and areas that people maybe had concerns about with the United States coming into this World Cup. They survived them, thankfully. But I still think that that's enough to have me sit there and be like, you know, maybe slow your roll a bit on, you know, saying, hey, this team can actually win the whole thing.

I'm not saying they can't, but. I would say that that was maybe a little bit more glaring than I would have wanted it to be. But the fact that they won the group. Turning this final game into a dead rubber is not a bad thing at all. It allows Mauricio Picettino to potentially experiment a little bit more in this third game.

Again, the result probably will not be something you look at that is reflective of the first two contests. I do think he's going to go try to win the game. Make no mistake about it. I don't think it's going to be more. I don't think it's going to be a glorified trading session for the United States, but I do think it's a situation where.

He probably will stay away from the four guys on yellows, particularly Adams in the midfield and Robinson and Richards. Maybe they play Flow because they feel like they can, you know, get him going a little bit more as well. But I still, you know, with as important as he is to the United States attack, I just don't know if I would risk it. You know, you could very, very easily play Haji Wright up there or Ricardo Pepe, depending on whether or not he plays for Pulisic, how they want to, you know, how they want to organize that. You could play Timmy Wea as well as a false nine.

They're they're Are definite desires, I'm sure, as well for Christian Pulisic to play. I just, I don't see why you risk him in this game, even if you're just trying to get his fitness back. Uh, I do think though, as far as an expectation standpoint, The quarterfinal is in play now, with the way that the draw fits for the United States, because you're more than likely to play Bosnia, your Roundup 16 opponent. probably is going to be Egypt. at the very very best And that's a very winnable round of 16 game for the U.S.

Even with Mo Sala on that side. You know, it's not like you're going to draw somebody who's. any of any less quality than that. Uh with Egypt.

So Those are both very, very winnable games for the U.S. in the knockout stage, which puts the round of eight in very, very square opportunity for you. And I think that would represent a very strong showing for the U.S. At that point, anything beyond the last date is gravy as far as I'm concerned for the US. I don't know if they are on the level that France is.

I don't think they're on the level that Spain is. I think they're probably better than England. But or at least play playing better than England. I don't know if they're playing better than Brazil. But if you can get yourself into the last eight, you got a shot.

And I think it's a bigger shot than anything even the most optimistic U.S. fan would have looked at going into this tournament. They've played very, very well. I'm curious to see what tonight looks like. Willie P., we appreciate you popping in here.

I know there's a big finale for the group France, Norway, tomorrow for that group. And I saw all these Norway fans, they're taking over City Field, the Mets Stadium. And I don't know, the vibe seemed a little different when they were in the stadium, I gotta say. It was different because they were exposed to something that they were actually exposed to a winning baseball team in that building for a change. It just didn't happen to be the Mets.

It's okay. Willie P. Thanks for popping in here, and we'll see you next week. Thank you, Will. Always mother.